Ketamine K-Hole Dangers & the Need for Treatment

While recreational drug users tend to vary in their overall drug preferences, some users, particularly young people, may gravitate towards the more unusual “high” experiences. Ketamine definitely fits the bill as far as out-of-the-ordinary drug highs go.

Ketamine’s intended purpose is as an anesthetic, and it’s currently used in veterinary medicine as well as on humans. As a recreational drug, ketamine produces a range of effects that vary based on dosage amount. The “K-Hole” expression refers to the type of drug high that results when ingesting large dosage amounts. At this level of use, ketamine poses the considerable danger of the K-Hole unleashing the anesthetic properties of this drug.

Ketamine Low Dosage Effects

Ketamine acts as a dissociative-type hallucinogen, producing the sensation of being detached from one’s body and surrounding environment. These effects result from ketamine’s ability to stimulate serotonin production in the brain. As a primary neurotransmitter chemical, serotonin regulates sensory perceptions and emotion.

According to the University of Maryland, low dosage amounts of one to two milligrams bring on feelings of floating, hallucinations and a sense of separation from self. By increasing serotonin production, ketamine essentially disconnects the brain from the body in terms of blocking all incoming sensory information. Low dosage amounts typically don’t produce a K-Hole effect.

Ketamine High Dosage Effects: K-Hole Conditions

A K-Hole can cause flashbacks of past high experiences.

At doses above two milligrams, users can expect to experience the K-Hole effect. Under these conditions, a person enters into a comatose-like state leaving him or her unable to interact with the surrounding environment, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. As young people tend to use this drug in nightclubs and party scenes, anyone experiencing the K-Hole effect is all but incapacitated and in a completely vulnerable state. These effects have distinguished ketamine as one of the “date rape” drugs.

While the K-Hole state only becomes an issue at high dosage levels, frequent ketamine use can soon lead to ingesting higher dosage amounts. Unlike other hallucinogens, the brain develops a tolerance for ketamine at a fast rate. As tolerance levels increase, a person must take larger dosage amounts in order to experience the desired drug effects. Not only will he or she likely experience the K-Hole state, but also face a very real risk for addiction.

Ketamine addiction attacks the mind, leading a person to believe he or she needs the drug to cope with everyday stressors and obligations. While ketamine doesn’t produce physical withdrawal effects like opiates or stimulants, ketamine abuse does cause a person to engage in the same type of compulsive drug-using behavior.

Hallucinogen drugs in general tend to carry a low risk for abuse and addiction. This is not the case with ketamine. Ketamine abuse practices not only expose users to the dangers of the K-Hole effect, but also carry a high risk for addiction. Without needed treatment help, a ketamine addiction will tear a person’s life apart just like any other form of addiction.

If you or someone you know have concerns about ketamine’s K-Hole effects and addiction potential and have more questions, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 800-601-3889 to speak with one of our addictions specialists.